1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the technical area of telecommunication, and relates more particularly to authentication of persons to mobile applications and agents.
2. Description of Related Art
It is well-known in the digital communication arts that it is often necessary for a caller, upon reaching, for example, an agent in a call center, to provide some input to authenticate the caller as the person he or she claims to be. One notoriously well known means of accomplishing this need is by the caller entering a password known to the agent or to the digital equipment available to the agent. In addition an agent may require other information presumably known only to the proper person, to aid in authorization. Authentication is also necessary in logging into an account on a web page, such as an on-line banking account through a web page.
It is also known that mobile devices, by virtue of increasing computing power and ability to send and receive data, are becoming more and more useful in areas such as accessing accounts and web pages, where authentication will typically be required.
Entering a password is a process, using either a mobile telephone, an iPad or other pad device, or other known mobile devices, as well as with computer appliances with Internet access, that may take at least eight to ten seconds. Moreover, the process is error prone. The caller may inadvertently type or enunciate a wrong character. Passwords, moreover, are secure in part related to the complexity of the password.
What is needed in the art is a procedure for authentication, especially using mobile devices, that is much quicker, less error prone, and more secure.